Under the pitch-black night, the two corpses on the road were cleaned up meticulously, as if nothing had happened on this road.
Another half an hour passed.
Seeing that Zhan Xiaoli and Gu Xiaofeng had not returned for a long time, Zhan Tianye ordered Qiu Lu to go to the General's Mansion. Qiu Lu was unconcerned, believing they were staying overnight at the General's Mansion. After all, they surely wanted to be with Miss Yun Er and Xiao Jing. However, under the Prince's order, Qiu Lu went anyway.
Upon arriving at the General's Mansion, he inquired with the doorman and learned that the young heirs had already left. They should have arrived at the Prince's Mansion an hour ago. He then realized something was amiss and quickly told the doorman, "Quickly inform the General and Miss Yun Er that the young heirs have not returned to the Prince's Mansion! I must immediately return to the Prince's Mansion to inform the Prince of the situation."
"What?" The doorman panicked, daring not to delay. In such an urgent situation, one could immediately guess what might have happened. He rushed inside.
A moment later, Yun Changfeng ran to Yun Shu's door. Yun Shu also learned of the news at this moment, put on her clothes, and went out. Seeing Yun Changfeng with a worried expression, she said, "Father, don't worry too much. I will go find them now. Prince Ye will also search. If someone has abducted Xiao Li and the others, they won't remain silent; there must be a purpose."
Yun Changfeng was indeed anxious, but having been on the battlefield, he possessed sufficient calmness and quickly stabilized his emotions. "I will dispatch people to search secretly."
"Alright."
Jing Heng immediately followed Yun Shu out of the mansion. "Master, I just checked on Xiao Jing, and he is not in the mansion," Jing Heng whispered.
Yun Shu's brows furrowed deeper. "Did Xiao Jing secretly go to find Xiao Li and the others?"
"It's possible. Little Snake is also gone," Jing Heng nodded.
Yun Shu's heart eased slightly. "If Xiao Jing is with them, they should be fine. Let's find them as soon as possible."
"Mm!"
A moment later, on a quiet street, with no one around. The night wind carried a hint of chill. Jing Heng squatted down, gazing at the ground. Yun Shu was also observing their surroundings. Faint traces of blood, almost imperceptible, wafted from the ground. She even detected a hint of poison powder. She reached out and touched the ground.
Just then, Zhan Tianye appeared before them. He sat in his wheelchair, his deep eyes glinting with cold light. "They were abducted from here?" Zhan Tianye asked.
Yun Shu glanced up at Zhan Tianye, remained silent, and then lowered her head to rub her fingertip. Jing Heng spoke first, "Someone used corpse-dissolving water to destroy the evidence." This matter was extraordinary. Someone had cleanly and swiftly abducted two children. This was not a spur-of-the-moment act; it was meticulously planned.
Zhan Tianye's thin lips pursed. He said to Qiu Lu, "Dig three feet deep to find them!" Someone was secretly targeting his son! They were courting death! He immediately looked at Yun Shu, "Believe me, they will be fine. I will ensure their safety." At this moment, he worried about Xiao Li's and the others' safety, and she would worry just as much.
Yun Shu's clear, cold eyes were expressionless. She simply said coldly, "I will go find them." Then she looked at Jing Heng. The two of them immediately vanished from Zhan Tianye's sight. Qiu Lu looked in the direction they had left and said, "Are they going to find Young Master Ruan? The Ruan family's spies are everywhere, and they are very good at gathering information." As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the Prince's expression turn extremely grim. He immediately stopped talking.
"The people who abducted Xiao Li and Xiao Feng are after me. Inform the Prince's Mansion's doorman that if anyone comes to see me or sends any letters, they are to be captured immediately," Zhan Tianye commanded with icy intent.
"Yes!" Zhan Tianye looked in the direction Yun Shu and Jing Heng had departed and frowned slightly.
...
The night grew even darker. A carriage rumbled its way out of the city, arriving at a secluded residence in the mountains. After the carriage stopped, several black-clothed men handed over two sacks to two servants at the entrance of the residence. The two servants carried the sacks inside. They exchanged no words, only communicating with their eyes. The black-clothed men also carried a sack away, but this sack was filled with gold ingots.
This area deep in the mountains was almost inaccessible without guidance. The usually quiet forest suddenly produced some noises. The black-clothed men quickly sensed it. "It doesn't feel like human presence." "Could it be wild beasts from the mountain?" "Probably. Let's be careful with the gold ingots." "Alright."
As soon as their words fell, the leaves around them rustled. When they looked over together, they were stunned by what appeared before them!
"Giant python!"
"Leopard?!"
"Lion?!"
"What is going on?"
Multiple giant, ferocious animals ferociously attacked the black-clothed men. The men, having experienced various assassinations, had never encountered such a bizarre situation. These beasts, usually hidden deep in the forest and rarely seen by humans, were now attacking them collectively! Why? Could it be... "They want to silence us?" The black-clothed men gasped.
While the black-clothed men were fending off these fierce beasts, no one noticed a small figure hidden in the darkness. Several gorillas brought the sack to the small figure. This small figure was Yun Xiao Jing. Yun Xiao Jing frowned upon seeing the sack full of gold ingots. "It's too little, isn't it? Xiao Li and Xiao Feng are my brothers! Even a thousand sacks of silver wouldn't be enough to buy my brothers' lives! Hmph!"
Despite his feigned disdain, he handed the sack to the gorillas and instructed them to hide it. He would use this silver later to buy Xiao Li and Xiao Feng candied hawthorns! He quickly hurried towards the distance. He had to find Xiao Li and Xiao Feng! Suddenly, he remembered something, grabbed a small snake nearby, and said to it, "Go find my mother!" The snake dropped to the ground and slithered away swiftly.
Yun Xiao Jing's small figure was perfectly concealed in the night, and no one would have imagined that a child less than five years old would be traversing the mountains deep in the night. The screams of several black-clothed men could be heard from behind him. Yun Xiao Jing pouted, "Hmph! Let them dare kidnap Xiao Li and Xiao Feng to exchange for silver!"
...
The residence was vast. Zhan Xiaoli and Gu Xiaofeng felt that the people carrying them had been walking for a long time, yet they hadn't stopped. Their little hands and feet were tied, and their mouths were gagged. They wanted to speak but couldn't. Zhan Xiaoli tried to listen to the thoughts of the people carrying them, but he heard nothing.